Survey Finds iPhone Owners Far More Satisfied than Android

iPhone customers are far more satisfied with their smartphones than owners of Android devices, according to new survey results from Changewave Research. The company also said that the iPhone was the number one preference for customers looking to buy a new smartphone in the next 90 days, with 46% of respondents saying they want an iPhone, well ahead of #2 Android at 32%.

Apple has long been in the lead for purchase preference in Changewave’s long-running surveys on smartphone use and customer purchasing plans, as you can see in the figure below. In the June quarter, Apple added to its lead, gaining two percentage points over Android’s single percentage point increase.

Another point that’s evident is that the smartphone race is currently a two-horse event, with Apple’s iPhone and the Android platform in the clear lead for customer mindshare. Research In Motion fell to its lowest point yet in Changewave’s survey, with other mobile operating systems competing for the remaining 18% not accounted for in the chart below.

We should also note that the planned purchases indicated by Changewave haven’t necessarily comported to actual sales, where Android devices passed iPhone sales earlier this year (or earlier, depending on who you ask). Apple may own customer mindshare before the sale is made, but more people are choosing Android at the actual register — Changewave’s research is focused on those plans, however, and not after-the-fact market share.

I Can’t Get No…

Customer satisfaction levels continue to show that Apple’s customers are far more happy than those using Android devices. 70% of Apple’s iPhone customers reported that they were “Very Satisfied” with their devices. Android was ranked a distant #2 in this part of the survey, with 50% of its users reporting that they were “Very Satisfied.”

Few of Microsoft’s and RIM’s customers made such claims, as you can see in the figure below, but it’s important to note that the “Windows OS” category in that figure represents a combination of Windows Phone 7 users and users of previous Windows mobile operating systems. Changewave said that when they broke out numbers for just Windows Phone 7, Microsoft’s “Very Satisfied” customers jumped to 57%, a number that would put that OS in the #2 slot.

“Even so, the higher Windows Phone 7 rating has yet to produce a sustained momentum boost for Microsoft in term of buyer preferences,” the firm wrote in its report.

iCloud

The last tidbit in Changewave’s report involved iCloud, which the firm found is already having a positive effect on Apple’s customer loyalty. The survey found that 29% of Apple’s existing company were “More Likely” to buy Apple products in the future because of iCloud, a service that was announced only a month ago and has yet to be entirely rolled out.

Even more interestingly, 13% of those who do NOT own an Apple device were also “More Likely” to buy an Apple product in the future because of the service.

“This initial look at the impact of Apple’s new iCloud service shows it enhancing existing customer loyalty,” the company wrote. “But the survey also provides highly encouraging signs that iCloud will generate additional customer demand for other Apple products, not only from current Apple product owners but from a substantial numbers of non-owners as well.”

Definitely, advantage: Apple. The devices themselves are so solid. My old 3G is still going strong after retirement, makes a great iPod and game device, and no troubles with anything new. I suppose I’m someone that wouldn’t install 5 kajillion apps to just screw around with ‘em (a la the jailbreakers and Androiders) to begin with, so I’m pretty pleased, even with Apple’s ?ber-curation. Pretty happy camper, here. My next phone will be an iPhone 5, no question.

“Apple may own customer mindshare before the sale is made, but more people are choosing Android at the actual register”

No big surprise there - You can get a Samsung Continuum android smartphone now for Free (New 2 Yr Activation & Data Plan Required) on Verizon. Also, on Verizon, Droid 3 by Motorola “Buy One Get One Free” at $199.99. Tough not to “settle” and get an android phone given the competition and the deals you can get. Like it or not, the economy is still struggling and people need to save a buck when they can. But, obviously those that “settle” are less happy than those who went with the iPhone. So, all it takes is a few years of pain and then they make the switch to iPhone!!

Another observation is that Apple is commanding the customer satisfaction statistic with a 1-year-old iPhone 4 product design (not to mention high satisfaction also on the 2-year-old 3GS). You would think that the latest and greatest newfangled technology being offered with the newest android phones would blow iPhone away: Faster phones, bigger displays, other bells and whistles… Very interesting article - thanks Bryan.

One of my friends went through three Apple iPhones with nothing but problems.

daemon, please elaborate. I am curious about the problems she had. Software? Hardware? Antenna? Battery? Networking? I am very surprised that she had problems with three separate iPhones (I’m assuming iPhone 4s, but maybe they were 3s). Was it related to AT&T network issues?

Just curious. As an Apple shareholder, of course!!

Sam7:43 PM EDT, Jul. 18th, 2011Guest

Vegans, Apple lovers, and Prius owners all love the smell of their own &$!@?#. They have to attack anything they think is a threat to their “I can be more organic/ fuel efficient/ tech savvy/ etc…. than you” club.

Some people like the android and don’t want to be dictated by Apple. Apple can try to bully developers, Samsung, Costco, a list of others, but some of us don’t have to keep up with the next thing.

Vegans, Apple lovers, and Prius owners all love the smell of their own &$!@?#. They have to attack anything they think is a threat to their ?I can be more organic/ fuel efficient/ tech savvy/ etc?. than you? club.

Some people like the android and don?t want to be dictated by Apple. Apple can try to bully developers, Samsung, Costco, a list of others, but some of us don?t have to keep up with the next thing.

And some whiners feel they have to register, and log-in to an an Apple-centric forum to insult others. Go back to Phandroid.com or AndroidCentral and be happy. There’s room for both.

From my personal experience with both Android & Apple phones, and those of my friends and colleagues, the majority favor Apple simply because of its quality and ease of use. The Android-side got their phones mainly because it was “cheap”, or one of those 2-for-1 deals, and hate their phones. They could care less about rooting their phone, and have zero clue about it being “open”.

I for one am waiting for the next weekly article of more Android apps being pulled due to malware infestation. But of course, you’ll place blame squarely on the users for being “too stupid” to download “untrusted” apps for their PHONE!

Ironic that Sam comes into a post where people are politely stating either fact or opinion and criticizes Apple lovers of “attacking anything they thing is a threat to their club” and he is the only one doing the attacking… of Apple. How pathetic.

lilacs0911:08 AM EDT, Jul. 19th, 2011Guest

but some of us don?t have to keep up with the next thing.

So you’re basically saying you don’t want to keep up with the latest technology. That statement right there is when I decided your opinion no longer mattered, go back to landline phones you hippie!